The Beginning of Hereafter
by Democratic Anarchy
Summary: Amidst all of the political intrigue, Qunari plots, murders, and family trouble, Lady Hawke finds love in the one person who wants it the least. Starts in the middle of Act 2, and continues from there. Rated M for future chapters.


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"The Beginning of Hereafter"

**Chapter 1: A Prime Suspect**

Hey! So, Dragon Age 2 came out not too long ago, and I'm absolutely head-over-heels in love with it. So, I've decided to write a fanfic! It's going to cover some of the romances, which is mainly why it's rated M. (Although not every chapter is going to be bad, so I'll alert you when the M chapters come up.) This story starts during the Act 2 Quest entitled "A Prime Suspect", and goes from there.

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The sudden realization was instantaneous, as she sliced one last time through his body, and as she watched him fall to the floor, lifeless. The moment she had killed Gerard DuPuis was the moment she realized that he was not the killer that she had been commissioned to find. Had she thought about it for longer, she should have let him go, but it was too risky. What if he did turn out to be the killer, and more innocent women died because she had been trusting and lenient? How could she bare to have that on her conscious? Anders would never let her forget it, certainly, and she would never let herself forget it, either.

But it wasn't as if she had much of a choice; the moment she brought up that he should go to the authorities, he summoned demons and fled. Even if he wasn't the killer, he had resorted to blood magic, something her and Fenris both feared and detested. So it was of no consequence to Fenris when she condemned DuPuis to the guard, but it still was not right with her. Killing innocents was not part of her agenda, and it did not sit well with her conscience. She would have much rather sorted the whole affair out through words than swords.

Leah Hawke stood over the blood mage's body, contemplating this. He certainly could have been killed for the simple fact that he possessed the ability to conjure demons, regardless of his claimed intention of helping the poor girl that he had captured from the killer that was after her. But, still, she wished DuPuis wouldn't have acted so rashly.

Sheathing her sword, and sighing, Leah turned and walked away, with Fenris, Isabela, and Anders following close behind.

xxxxx

"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Anders asked, as they turned the corner from the DuPuis estate. They were making their way back to the Gallows, in order to inform Emeric of his prime suspect's fate.

Fenris gave an indignant snort. "Of course not, he had a woman, obviously frightened and abused at his feet, begging for help. And he was using blood magic. His guilt was apparent, and he deserved what he got."

Anders frowned at the cynical interjection. "Well, if the murders continue, I hope you realize that you killed an innocent man."

Leah's stomach gave an indomitable pang of guilt.

"Innocent?" The former Tevinter slave scoffed, "He was a bloodmage. Regardless of whether he was the murderer, his methods were damnable."

The mage paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating an adequate response. "He only resorted to blood magic and the use of demons when his life was being threatened."

His remark seemed to refer to himself, more than DuPuis, and it was picked up by Fenris. "It is an example of loss of control. When put in a dangerous situation, instead of being able to control their power, mages resort to blood magic and demons, to which they always lose themselves. That is why mages need outside control by the Templars."

"Stop fighting, you two," Leah said exasperatedly, picking up on look of desire to kill Fenris on Ander's face. The ex-slave merely smirked. Both men made good points, but she was sick of their arguing. It wasn't as if bickering was going to get them anywhere, anyway.

"It's about time. You two sound like an old-married couple," Isabela quipped. "I suggest some kind of counseling to resolve your differences."

The idea of Fenris and Anders being a married couple made Leah laughed, something she hadn't remembered doing in a long time, and she earned a glare from both Anders and Fenris. She shrugged and stopped, but not before turning around to get a glance at Isabella. The swashbuckler smiled and gave an inconspicous wink, which made Hawke blush and turn away. There was nothing going on between them, besides the occasional innuendo here and there. Not that Hawke didn't think about it, though. Isabela was beautiful, and free, not tied down and broody like Fenris or Anders. Both of them were entertaining to some extent, but sometimes she just wanted to have fun and not dwell on the past. Seriousness was something she had enough of in her life.

However, even if they were involved, Leah wasn't even sure she would be able to please the former ship-captain, who had countless times more experience than she had. Especially with women, an area of which Leah was very foreign to. She certainly wouldn't want to disappoint.

Putting that out of her mind, Leah entered the Gallows slowly. She was always taken aback by it's immensity and the large historical statues from the time where they imported slaves whenever she visited the Gallows. Of course, people still participated in slave trade now, but at least it is punishable by law. "The Twins", as they were called, particularly unnerved her.

"Hey!" she heard someone call towards her.

Leah turned to see a female Templar motioning for her to come closer, and she obliged, with Anders, Fenris, and Isabela in suit.

"Aren't you Hawke?" The Templar asked before Leah could say hello. "Emeric left not long ago. He said you would arrange to meet tonight."

"Are you sure?" Leah asked, forgetting any pleasantries. She never remembered making any arrangement with Emeric, especially since she had not contacted him since he informed her of his suspicions about DuPuis. "Perhaps you're mistaken."

The Templar frowned. "I'm not mistaken, you sent him a letter a half-hour ago. Look," she said as she handed Leah the letter she supposedly sent.

Taking one look at it, Leah shook her head. "I didn't send this."

"You didn't?" Hawke shook her head in response again. "Strange...Well, I don't know. Emeric's been acting strangely for months. It's probably just a misunderstanding," the Templar concluded, and walked off, without saying goodbye.

Anders, Fenris, and Isabela all formed a collective group circle around Leah, who still held the letter in her hands.

"Oh! A group huddle!" Isabela said, her voiced tainted by sarcasm. "What camaraderie we have!" Leah let out a small laugh.

Fenris just rolled his eyes. "Well, it's obviously a set-up."

"We still should check it out," Anders replied.

Leah nodded, but kept quiet. Her initial realization of DuPuis's innocence seemed to be correct, and she felt sick. She had killed people before, but not innocent ones, or ones genuinely trying to help others. It had been her decision to bring up that he should go to the guard, which triggered his attack. If she had just listened more carefully, he would still have been alive, and he could be helping her at this very moment.

"And just walk right into a blatantly obvious trap? That seems like the smart decision," Isabela retorted, placing her hand on her hip.

"I agree with Isabela, we should be cautious on approaching this," said Fenris.

The salty air from the sea blew gently across the Gallows, and the Sun blazed down from the sky, warming Leah's exposed skin. An ominous feeling crept up inside her stomach, as she looked up to observe all her companion's faces. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

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_Sorry if that seemed kind of slow moving. I need to start somewhere, after all. Reviews are greatly appreciated._


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